Gone at Sixteen
by KimTomPW
Summary: Hogwarts is mourning the death of a student.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Harry Potter series. That credit goes to the brilliant mind of J.K. Rowling. Go Jo! I also do not own some of the material used. Again that belongs to Jo and Warner Brothers_

Chapter 1 She's Gone

Harry Potter tossed and turned in his four poster bed in the fifth year boys' dormitory in Gryffindor Tower. The voice echoed in his head loudly as if magnified ten times. It was haunting and cold. Harry tried and tried to wake himself up, but nothing he did worked. He was laying on the cold ground of the Ministry of Magic with Voldemort, the darkest wizard ever known, standing over him.

"You're a fool, Harry Potter. And you will lose… everything," Voldemort had told him before the Aurors arrived, and then everything began to spin.

A memory that Harry wanted obliviated from his mind then started to replay. However, he wasn't sure exactly how true it was. He had been possessed by Voldemort. He didn't know how it had happened. Dumbledore, himself, had told him that his heart was too pure to be controlled by Voldemort. Apparently, he had been able to take control of Harry long enough to kill someone.

Harry and Ron were walking out of Hogwarts castle. The memory always began like this. Harry couldn't recall anything he done that night. This is how Harry had pictured this from what Dumbledore had told him.

"Harry, what exactly are we looking for?" Ron Weasley, Harry's best mate, asked.

Ron didn't like that they were getting closer and closer to the Whomping Willow, and it made him even more nervous with each increasing step forward.

"Just follow me," Harry said, not looking back.

They were under the Invisibility Cloak, so Ron had no choice but to follow Harry. Getting caught out of bed after hours so soon since the incident at the Ministry of Magic was something Ron didn't want to think about. Sure enough, they stopped at the base of the Whomping Willow. Ron swallowed hard. He knew Harry was still grieving over the death of his Godfather, Sirius Black, mostly because Harry hadn't spoken a word about that night since returning back to Hogwarts, but Ron found it strange that Harry would want to come back to the place where they had first, let alone bring him along with him.

"Harry, if this has anything to because of Sirius…"

Ron didn't say anything after Harry yelled, "Shut up!" Harry had never told him before, and he had to admit it frightened him some. Ron then realized that saying Sirius's name must've set Harry off. Ron looked apprehensive as Harry took out his wand.

"Immobulus," Harry muttered, and the tree stopped moving.

They finally pulled the cloak off after entering the tree. Not a word was spoken until they entered a familiar room.

"Harry, what's the matter?" Ron asked.

"Nothing," Harry said, not turning around to face Ron.

Harry then woke up, gasping, in a cold sweat. It was always this part of the memory he'd wake up to and wonder why Hermione hadn't been there or tried to stop them before leaving.

"Er…mi…nee," Harry heard a voice moan.

He turned and saw it came from Ron. Of course he'd be dreaming about her. Ron loved Hermione more than his own life, even though he didn't want to admit it. It had been so obvious they liked each other.

Harry walked over to the window and pulled up his left sleeve. There it was, clear as daylight. On his left forearm, there was a skull with snake coming out of its mouth. It was Voldemort's mark. The Dark Mark. However, it wasn't real one. Harry had done it himself while he was being possessed. How he had been able to hide it, he didn't know. Dumbledore, himself, had told Harry there was little chance of it going away. Harry turned and saw Neville Longbottom.

"You were brilliant," he said under his breath as he thought back to the Ministry of Magic. "You all were brilliant."

Harry looked out the window as a happy memory this time played in his head. It was of the first time he had met Hermione.

"I was thrilled when I got my letter. I've all ready learned all of our texts for class. I only hope it'll do," the eleven year old Hermione had said.

Harry looked at the bushy brown haired girl, who had large front teeth and a bossy voice in amazement.

"I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?" she asked.

Harry noticed Ron looked annoyed.

"Ron Weasley," was all he had said.

"I'm Harry Potter," he had told her.

Harry was glad she hadn't gasped or screamed. Instead, she had looked at him calmly and said, "Are you? Well, of course, I know all about you."

"Do you?" Harry had asked.

Harry shook off the memory and got back into bed, but even his dreams didn't let him have a good nights rest. He was in the fifth year boys' dormitory, getting his Firebolt from under his bed, when he felt the presence of someone watching him.

He turned and gasped, "Hermione!"

She turned and left. The next thing Harry knew, he was on his Firebolt in the middle of the Quidditch Pitch. The stands were empty… or so he thought. As Harry look around more carefully, he saw, "Hermione!" He lost his balance and fell.

Harry woke suddenly. He looked around, and nobody was in the dormitory, which he was glad about. He really didn't feel like seeing or talking to anyone just yet. He got dressed and went to the Great Hall to have breakfast, and sat at the end of Gryffindor table. Glancing around for a second, Harry saw Ron was sitting with Dean, Seamus, and Neville. For the first time that he could remember, Harry wished he had class.

He went straight back to the Gryffindor common room and lay down on the couch. Harry got a lot of looks, but he didn't care. Right not, he just wanted to be alone. Before Harry knew it, he was back to sleep.

Flashes of Hermione started appearing. She was holding his hand, looking at the scar on it that read, "I most not tell lies". He could hear her clearly telling him, "You need to tell Dumbledore bout this."

Then it went back to their third year when he and Hermione had to use the Time-Turner. That had really been an experience for him. Harry began to wish he would've just taken off with Sirius then and there.

Next, it went forward to Harry comforting Hermione when she and Ron had been fighting during their fourth year before the Yule Ball. He should have known then that something was going on between them.

It then jumped back again to their first year to the time he and Ron saved Hermione from the mountain troll in the girls' bathroom.

Harry woke up an hour later, not knowing why or how he was even sleeping. He had usually not been able to sleep during the day before. Looking into the fire, Harry muttered, "I guess I got even less sleep then I thought."

Not knowing what else to do, Harry went up to the fifth year boys' dormitory. Thankful that it was empty, Harry went into his trunk, and he retrieved the Invisibility Cloak he had inherited from his father his first Christmas here.

Harry went out the portrait hole and just walked the castle halls. Under his cloak, he was free to do whatever he wanted. Harry was just walking through the entrance hall when he stopped suddenly. He looked down at his right hand, thinking he felt someone take hold of it. Harry saw her then. Hermione was standing at the top of the stairs. He felt his legs go limp.

The next thing Harry knew, he and Ron were back in the Shrieking Shack. They turned quickly as the door swung open, revealing a very red faced Hermione, looking as if she got just run a marathon.

"Ron, get away from him," Hermione yelled.

"What's gotten into you?" Ron asked as Hermione got in front of him, her wand at the ready.

Harry gave an evil smirk. This made Ron step back, grabbing Hermione's hand and taking her with him. Hermione turned to Ron, fear in her eyes. She managed to chock out, "He's being possessed by Voldemort!"

Ron looked at Harry in shock. How could this be true? Harry laughed at the hurt look in both Ron and Hermione's eyes.

"You better listen to your little girlfriend," he said.

Harry's eyes bolted open. He had been too shocked to set up or move. Taking a look at either side of him, Harry found himself back in his dormitory, tucked comfortably in bed.

Finally able to sit up, Harry saw his cloak neatly folded at the end of his bed with a note and a plate of sandwiches on top of it. There was a cold goblet of pumpkin juice on his bedside table. He leaned across and took the note.

_Please do try not to make a habit of falling asleep in the middle of the entrance hall with your cloak covering only half of yourself. –Dumbledore _

Harry sighed after eating only two sandwiches and drinking his pumpkin juice in about one swallow, and let his had hit the pillow. Dumbledore had always been too kind to him.

xxx

Ron hadn't had a great day. The first thing he had seen getting up that morning was Harry. He rolled his eyes and muttered, "Brilliant."

He ate breakfast with Neville, Seamus, and Dean, but didn't say a word to him. He saw Harry at the end of the table eating, and didn't look back there the rest of the time he was there.

After eating, Ron went back to the Gryffindor common room. He had ignored Neville trying to call him. Ron cursed under his breath when he saw Harry fast asleep on the couch.

"Stupid git," Ron said, a bit louder this time

He nearly jumped out of his skin when a feminine voice asked, "Who is?"

Ron slowly turned to see Lavender. Trying to act like she hadn't just taken him completely by surprise, Ron said with as much disgust as he could, "Harry."

"It's terrible what happened, and I feel awful, but…"

Ron's eyes grew in shock as Lavender looked over at the sleeping Harry with sadness in her eyes. He couldn't believe she was feeling sorry for him. Was he the only one that hated Harry for what he had done?

"No, you don't," Ron snapped.

He wanted to add, "_You were never friends with her, so why would you care if she was alive or not_?"

"Sorry?" Lavender asked.

Ron rolled his eyes and yelled, "Why does it feel like I'm the only one that gives a damn that Hermione's dead?"

Lavender angrily put her hands on her hips.

"You were absolutely horrible to her and you say you're the only one that cared?" she retorted back at him.

"You weren't that great to her, either," Ron said.

This made Lavender look down, feeling more awful than she all ready was. She looked back up at Ron, her eyes looking very determined.

"May be, but Pavarti and I probably knew more about her than you," Lavender said.

"Oh, yeah?" Ron asked.

Lavender took a deep breath.

"Do you know why she was writing to Viktor Krum?" she asked, knowing somehow Ron needed to hear this.

Ron shrugged his shoulders, acting like he knew the answer, and said, "Sending love notes back and fourth to each other?"

"Wrong. It was for advice with big-headed boys like you," Lavender snapped, wanting to hot Ron over the head.

They stormed off in different directions. Lavender had gone up to the fifth year girls' dormitory while Ron went out the portrait hole. Walking through the hall, not really knowing where he was heading, Ron said out loud, "How dare she?"

He went to the library, not really knowing what for. And then, like fate, his eyes landed on a book. A book he'd never think of picking up before now. The book was entitled _Hogwarts, A History_. Hermione was always trying to get him to read it, but Ron never saw the use for it when Hermione knew it by heart. He took from the shelf, slid down to the floor, and began to read it.

A good time later, Ron was being woken up by the library keeper, Madam Pince. Shaking his shoulder, she called, "Mr. Weasley? Mr. Weasley!"

Ron's eyes bolted open. How long had he been asleep? Rubbing his eyes, e asked, "Wh… what?"

Madam Pince sighed as Ron moaned and put a hand on the left side of his face. If felt like he had been sleeping on that side with something very hard. As he had been jut woken up, Ron concluded that that had indeed been the case.

"Will you kindly find somewhere else to sleep?" Madam Pince asked.

Ron looked down, feeling a bit embarrassed. He looked back up and said, "Sorry, Madam Pince."

Ron then a better look at the page he had reading before he had fallen asleep as Madam Pince walked away. He had left off on the page on how no one could Apparate or Disapparate from or to Hogwarts.

Ron found himself in the Courtyard soon after eating very little of his lunch. He looked up at the sky and thought about the first time he met Hermione.

He had thought she was so annoying at first that he had actually told Harry, "I don't want to be in her House."

Now, he couldn't imagine what would have happen if they had been in different Houses. Beginning to get watery eyed thinking about this, Ron hadn't notice someone walk began him. It was the Head of Gryffindor, Professor Minerva McGonagall. She also happened to be the Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts and the Transfiguration teacher.

"Mr. Weasley, what do you think…" Professor McGonagall began, but stopped as Ron turned, eyes blood red.

"Sorry, Professor," Ron quickly apologized as he began rubbing his eyes. "I just got caught up thinking about Hermione."

He hadn't noticed that the sky was beginning to get dark. Everyone would already be in the Great Hall eating dinner.

"Yes, well, I think it best if you head into the Great Hall to eat then go straight to your dormitory and sleep," Professor McGonagall suggested.

But Ron couldn't sleep after surprisingly eating most of his dinner. How could he sleep with the special ceremony they were having for Hermione being tomorrow? It had bugged him even more seeing that Harry was all ready fast asleep when he got to the room. He didn't even give a thought as to if Harry had eaten.

After tossing and turning all night, Ron decided just to get dressed and go down to the Gryffindor common room. As he sat by the fire with his head down, Ron's head shot up after seeing a shadow walk pass him.

His eyes grew at the sight he saw and gasped, "Hermione!"

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked, angrily… or at least at angrily as she could because Ron could tell she was trying very hard not to smile.

"I…er…" Ron began, but he found it very hard to come up with something to say.

How were you supposed to answer or even talk to someone who was dead? Plus, h had no clue what Hermione was talking about.

Looking at him very seriously this time, Hermione said, "Don't be blaming Harry for what happened. And don't you dare blame yourself."

Ron looked down, finding it extremely hard to look at Hermione, because he could clearly see the burning fire in the fireplace through her. He then realized he had never really blamed Harry at all. The person he was really blaming was himself.

Looking back at Hermione, Ron took a deep breath and said, "But it is my fault."

"No, it's not," Hermione told Ron, talking a step closer to him.

Before Ron could say anything else, Hermione disappeared. He fell to the couch.

"It was supposed to be you," Ron said out loud, half hoping Hermione would return, "You were the one that I wanted to be with and have my kids with."

For the first time in his life, Ron didn't go straight to breakfast that morning. Instead, he went back out into the Courtyard. He was thankful he didn't run into anyone. He sat out there for ages with no one to bother him. Ron wasn't surprised this time when he saw Hermione looking at him when he looked up.

"Go and eat," she told him.

He lowered his eyebrows, wondering why that had been the first thing to come out of her mouth, and asked, "Why?"

Ron didn't know to take when Hermione began to laugh, barely managing to say, "The growling of your stomach is not the greatest sound in the world."

He sighed as she disappeared again. Ron headed back up to Gryffindor Tower so he could retrieve his robes. Even though there wasn't any class today, the students were still required to where their robes, which Ron, and admittedly most of his peers, thought was rubbish.

AN:

Nothing like being a couple days late. Sorry about that.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Harry Potter series. That credit goes to the brilliant mind of J.K. Rowling. Go Jo! I also do not own some of the material used. Again that belongs to Jo and Warner Brothers_

Chapter 2 Standing in the Way

Harry was in the Gryffindor common room when Ron entered the portrait hole after eating breakfast, but neither of them said anything or even looked at each other. Harry decided that when Ron came back form their dormitory, he'd try talking to him.

As Ron reached the bottom of the stairs, Harry turned in his seat and said, "Ron…"

Ron stopped and looked at him. For a moment, Harry thought Ron might actually listen to him. However, it was just wishful thinking.

Still looking at Harry, Ron then had a flashback of the night Hermione died. He saw Harry raise his wand and yell something, but he couldn't hear it. However, Ron knew what Harry had yelled.

Coming back to reality, Ron shook his head at Harry and walked away. Harry sighed and ran a hand through his untidy black hair and began to wonder if he and Ron would ever be friends again.

More memories came back to Ron as he walked down to the Great Hall to eat breakfast finally. He wouldn't want to upset Hermione by not doing what she had told him to do even she couldn't do anything to him if he didn't. Though Ron thought Hermione, even dead, would fine a way.

Ron remembered comforting Hermione after Sirius was murdered and trying to save her form Grump. He smiled at these memories, because these were two of the very few time since he'd known Hermione that he actually felt like he deserved to be in her company. She seemed to be like anyone else during these times that Ron didn't feel like he had to try hard to impress her or comfort her in any way.

Walking into the Great Hall, Ron remembered how he felt seeing Hermione at the end of their second year after being Petrified. She had been such an immense help to him and Harry in trying to find out about the Chamber of Secrets, even when she had been Petrified and confined to a bed in the hospital wing, unable to move or say anything.

Ron sat at the end of the Gryffindor table, not wanting to see or talk to anyone, even though he had been eyed by Neville, Dean, and Seamus. He couldn't help but smile, however, when he turned and saw Hermione sitting next to him. He took a fork full of eggs and shoved it in his mouth, making Hermione smile. After watching as Ron ate for a couple of minutes, Hermione finally disappeared.

After eating, Ron went back to the common room. He went upstairs to his dormitory and lay down in his be.

Ron had spotted Harry in the Great Hall during breakfast, so he knew he'd have some peace in the dormitory for a while, which he really wanted. He was getting tired of all the sad faces and questions if he was all right.

About twenty minutes later, Harry got back to the common room. His eyes fell on a copy of the Daily Prophet that was laying on one of the empty tables. On the front page was a photograph of Hermione. The heading read "Teenage Tragedy". Harry threw the paper into the fire and stormed back out of the Gryffindor common room.

Harry found himself in the courtyard ten minutes later, thinking about the time Hermione had been Petrified. It had been a rough time for him and Ron both.

Harry didn't know how long it had been since he had been in the Courtyard, but his stomach told him he had missed lunch. As Harry was heading back inside the castle, he came face to face with Ron.

They had been so taken aback at seeing each other that all Harry could say was, "Ron…"

As the shock wore off on Ron, his face went as red as his hair and his eyes got darker. Ron knew deep down that he didn't blame Harry for what happened, but something in him snapped when he saw him.

"It's your fault," Ron snapped at Harry.

Harry took a step back, never seeing Ron like this before, and began to say, "I didn't…"

But Ron had cut him off before he could say anything else and yelled, "You're the reason Hermione's dead!"

With out saying a word, Harry ran past Ron in fright. Harry stopped and slid down a wall in the entrance hall. He remembered the rest of the memory of when Hermione died very clearly know.

Ron had been pleading with him to fight Voldemort from controlling him. Hermione looked absolutely heartbroken. And there he had been, laughing coldly at hurt expressions like he didn't care.

"Harry, you got to fight it," Ron begged.

Harry laughed and turned his back to them. Ron quickly took out his wand at started at Harry.

"Ron, no! Get back here," Hermione yelled.

It all happened so fast. Hermione was running after Ron as Harry turned and said, "You asked for it, Weasley… Avada Kedavra!"

Harry woke up then, still surprisingly in the entrance hall. He got up and walked into the Great Hall.

The four House tables were gone. There were now rows and rows of chairs that now faced the staff table. He sat down in the first empty seat he saw. A couple of minutes later, he was surprised when Ron sat next to him.

"It was my fault, not yours," Ron said.

Harry turned to Ron in shock. His head was down, his fringe covering most of his eyes now.

"Sorry?" Harry asked.

Ron sighed and finally looked at him as he said in a low voice, "You were trying to kill me that night."

It all came back to Harry then, because right after the killing, Voldemort finally left his body.

Hermione had gotten in the way of the killing curse, though. When Ron opened his eyes, her limp body was on the ground.

Ron ran to her body and dropped down to it as he yelled, "Hermione!"

Harry went limp then as Ron ran his hand through Hermione's hair, desperately trying to wake her up. When Harry came to, he looked on in horror as Ron cradled the unmoving Hermione in his arms.

Harry began to panic as he got up and gasped, "What… no, Hermione! Ron…"

Ron looked at him, eyes full of hatred as he yelled at Harry, "You did this!"

"But I…" Harry began, and then everything went dark.

Harry came back to reality as Dumbledore began to speak.

"Hermione Jean Granger was the brightest witch in her year…" Dumbledore started.

Harry and Ron fell into a short of numbness and weren't able to hear Dumbledore until the end.

Their eyes grew as Dumbledore looked straight at them and said, "We must all be careful now that Voldemort has made his presence known. The bonds we have now must not be broken. We need each other. Now more than ever."

Seamus rounded on Harry as everyone made their way back to the Gryffindor common room so time later.

"You should be in Azkaban. You're the one that killed her," he said.

Harry wanted to just walk away, but something inside him slipped. But before he could say anything, someone started yelling at Seamus first.

"Voldemort was controlling him, you git! He did the same to me my second year," Ginny said.

Harry looked over at Ron sister and nodded to her in thanks. She nodded back with a small smile. If anyone knew what he was going through, it was her.

Ron followed Harry up the stairs to the fifth year boys' dormitory.

"Let me be alone," Harry said.

A pleading could be heard in his voice.

Harry turned back quickly as he heard Ron say, "Fine."

"Ron… I didn't know it was you," He told him.

Ron looked down and said, "I know it wasn't your fault."

Harry walked up at Ron a placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It wasn't yours either," Harry said.

They spent the rest of the day sitting on their beds, talking about all the good times they had with Hermione Granger.

THE END

AN:

Thanks for reading!


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